<<< October 14 - 16, 2005 >>>

Born in 1927 in Ossining, New York, Peter Falk tried his hand at various acceptions before settling on acting as his chosen profession, including a degree in political science, a stint in the merchant marines and a brief career as a certified public accountant. He made his profesional debut in an Off Broadway production of Moliere's Don Juan in the mid-1950's. In 1960, he received an Oscar nomination for one of his first film roles, the homicidal gangster Abe 'Kid Twist' Reles in MURDER, INC., then won his second Oscar nomination a year later for his supporting role as Joy Boy in Frank Capra's POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES. It should come as no surprise that Falk was also picking up Emmy nominations during this same period for his consistently fine work on television. More great movie roles followed in the mid-to-late 1960's with his hilarious comic appearances in IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD, THE GREAT RACE and LUV. In 1968 he made his debut appearance as the character with whom he's most often identified - the unassuming, rumpled Los Angeles police homicide detective, Lt. Columbo. Falk would go on to delight television fans of all ages for many years, with the sly detective initially retiring from the small screen in 1978 only to return again in the late 1980’s, enjoying a continued success off-and-on through the 1990’s until his perhaps final Columbo appearance in 2000. Falk is, of course, known, too, for his collaboration with close friend, actor and film director, John Cassavetes, with whom he made several unforgettable pictures, including HUSBANDS, WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE and MIKEY AND NICKY (which co-starred Cassavetes but was directed by Elaine May). Falk also assayed a number of truly inspired comic roles in the 1970's, including his Tony Award-winning performance on Broadway in 1971 in Neil Simon's Prisoner Of Second Avenue, as well as hilarious turns in MURDER BY DEATH, THE CHEAP DETECTIVE, THE IN-LAWS and HAPPY NEW YEAR. In 1987 he appeared in one of his most memorable characterizations, playing himself, in Wim Wenders' bewitchingly bittersweet fantasy, WINGS OF DESIRE. Since the turn of the millenium, two of Falk's most visible performances were in Jon Favreau's gangland comedy, MADE and Walter Hill's gritty prison fight thriller, UNDISPUTED. He is currently finishing up production on BOOK OF JOE, which co-stars Joe Mantegna and Gena Rowlands.

Please join us for this ongoing series sponsored by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a rare opportunity for Los Angeles audiences to see the finest work by some of the leading performers of international and American cinema, and to hear these actors and actresses discuss their craft in a relaxed and informal setting.

Friday, October 14 - 7:30 PM

Double feature – Peter Falk In-Person!
THE IN-LAWS, 1979, Warner Bros, 103 min. Dir. Arthur Hiller. Giant tse-tse flies, the Bay of Pigs, dictators with talking hands, and flames on your car: one of the laugh-out-loud funniest movies of the past 25 years stars Alan Arkin as a middle-class dentist who finds himself thrown together with delusional CIA agent Peter Falk when their children decide to get married. Serpentine, Shel, serpentine!!

MIKEY AND NICKEY, 1976, Paramount, 119 min. Director Elaine May's brilliant comic psychodrama of two small-time hoods and lifelong pals, Mikey (Peter Falk) and Nicky (John Cassavetes), taking place over one night. Reportedly over a million feet of film were shot in production, and May ran a gauntlet in the lengthy editing process, trying to please the studio but remain true to her vision. Does Nicky really have a mob contract out on him? Is Mikey sincere or a Trojan horse out to trap his friend? These are the questions that need answers, but along the way, director May, along with her performers, creates such a spontaneous tapestry of rich character detail, the plot points prove irrelevant. Immensely entertaining. With Ned Beatty, William Hickey. Discussion in between films with actor Peter Falk.

An Aero Theatre Exclusive!

Saturday, October 15 - 5:00 PM

HAPPY NEW YEAR, 1987, Columbia, 87 min Dir. John G. Avildsen. Peter Falk shines as suave thief, Nick, who, with partner Charlie (Charles Durning) plots to rob shop manager Tom Courtenay's Miami jewelry store. An Americanized remake of the lighthearted comic crime souffle, LA BONNE ANNEE directed by Claude Lelouch (who also makes a cameo appearance here).

Saturday, October 15 - 7:30 PM

WINGS OF DESIRE, 1987, Sony (MGM/UA) 127 min. One of director Wim Wenders most fully-realized cinematic visions follows Damiel (Bruno Ganz), an angel feeling pangs of longing as he observes the lives of mere mortals in Berlin, specifically the beautiful, ethereal trapeze artist, Marion (Solveig Donmartin). Peter Falk essentially plays himself, a philosophical film and TV star (often addressed as "Columbo" by other characters!), who is making a movie in Germany and is one of the few people who can sense the presence of the invisible celestial spirits. An achingly beautiful and poetic meditation on life and what it means to be a human being. 1987 Winner of the Best Director Award at Cannes. Discussion following with actor Peter Falk & Wim Wenders.

An Aero Theatre Exclusive!

Sunday, October 16 - 5:00 PM

A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE, 1974, Castle Films, 155 min. Director John Cassavetes continued his ongoing collaboration with spouse Gena Rowlands and friend Peter Falk in this emotion-shredding tale of a Los Angeles housewife tenuously holding onto her sanity while trying to fulfill the expectations of her husband, children and society at large. Rowlands is stupendous as the woman in search of her self (her performance was nominated for an Oscar along with Cassavetes for his direction), and Falk is astonishing in his portrayal of an alternately tender and boorish working class hero who loves his wife deeply but is totally at-sea on how to cope with her. "Peter Falk gives a rousing performance as the man who lives at a perpetual bursting point..." Nora Sayre, New York Times.

An Aero Theatre Exclusive!